Cole
Do you need any help getting your stuff together for this weekend?
My forehead creases and the thought of him sends another jolt to my heart. He’s going to be there this weekend, looking at every single painting, every single emotion I’ve felt over the past few years. It’s a vulnerable feeling, one I’m not familiar with and my stomach suddenly feels like it’s going to fall out of my butt.
Cole
I’m sure you don’t, but in case you do, I’m here.
I suck in a shallow breath, unable to get my lungs to expand enough to inhale deeply. Emotion washes over me, mixing with the anxiety, and my body shakes as I let out a rush of air.
“I’m okay.”
I’m not okay.
I can’t do it.
Cole
Is everything okay?
You shouldn’t have said anything to Austin.
Cole
Ella, what’s going on?
I just can’t do it.
When Cole doesn’t respond, I lock my phone and set it back down on the floor. I close my eyes, burying my face in my hands once more. I stay in this position for at least ten minutes, trying to get myself together. Agreeing to this show was a mistake. My paintings are garbage. I’m not good at being the center of attention. Nothing about this was a good decision.
“Ella, are you in here?”
My head springs up, instantly feeling a rush of dizziness as everything feels distorted from the adrenaline overload in my body. I didn’t hear a knock or the front door opening.
“Ella?”
What the hell is he doing here?
My eyes are wide and I stare at the half open door, completely mortified about him finding me like this. Cole Wild steps into my line of vision and I want to crawl into a hole and pretend he was never here.
His eyebrows pull together, his head tilting to the side as he pauses in the doorway. “Hey.” His voice is soft and gentle and he quickly steps into the room, closing the distance between us. He bends his knees, crouching down in front of me on the floor. “What’s goin’ on?”
“This was a mistake, Cole.” I shake my head, my voice quivering as I half laugh. “My paintings aren’t what they’re looking for. The thought of being the center of attention has me so nervous already. I don’t know what I was thinking, agreeing to something like this.”
“Ella, darlin’, look at me,” he says in a hushed voice as he reaches for me. “You are amazing. Your paintings are exactlywhat they are looking for. You can do this.” He moves into a seated position, spreading his legs as he pulls me between them. I don’t fight him as he guides my body closer to his. “Tell me something you can feel.”
I focus on his words, feeling my hands on his forearms. His skin is soft and warm beneath mine. “You.”
“Tell me something you smell.”
I swallow hard, inhaling his familiar scent through my nose. Leather and cedar. “You.”
“Tell me something you see.”
Emotion washes over me as my heart begins to steady. My breathing is more controlled. I look into the depths of his blue eyes. “You,” I whisper. “It’s you.”
“Good,” he says softly, his eyes burrowing through mine as he pulls me flush against him. “If you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to. No one will be mad if you decide to change your mind.”
